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This (digitaldissent) is close to an idea i had a while back. It's a theory so here goes!
Hypermiling doesn't work an engine hard does it? So remove the radiator and install a custom built (tubular?) heat exchanger that the engine air intake draws air through. As it draws its air through the heat exchanger, the engine coolant is pumped around like in a radiator, cooling the coolant and warming the air to the engine. Then in the space the radiator was in, re-build the belly pan so it slopes up in front of the engine, to the underside of the bumper, thereby creating a pointy front end on the car and hopefully improving aero. The new "radiator" will need cool fresh air to maximise cooling and so that the air going to the engine isn't flaming hot! So an intake in the nose is used.
Does any of this make sense? I suppose the idea came about because of the drag a radiator places on a car. I thought maybe i could remove the rad. Then how was i going to cool the coolant? Simple: stick a radiator in the air intake. Does anyone here have a grasp of the approx heat output from an engine and how much of that heat could be directed back into the engine safely via the air intake?
This might not work at all but we've got to keep trying right?!
Maybe i'll try it before i de-commission the civic next year....
ollie
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